Torn between thf & mnk

[Xibz]

Hello,

I would appreciate your opinions on my problems. First of all, I like both of these classes, monk and thief, very much, and would like to play one of these classes that can get into parties more easily than the other. I am also curious about my race as a human. I like their look overall, but it seems mithras and elvaans make the best thief or monk. I was wondering if there is a significant difference between these races, or are they quite insignificant?

Thank you

[Saren]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

First of all, I like both of these classes, monk and thief, very much, and would like to play one of these classes that can get into parties more easily than the other

High level wise you might have a little more problem getting parties as thf than as mnk before that I don't think it makes much difference.The good news is that there are some alternative ways to make exp and thf especially can be a good and very profitable soloer.

Job wise, it can be a good idea (if you aren't in a huge rush to 75) to level a few jobs to 37-40 before you try and get anything to 75. Whatever you level you are going to need at least a couple of subjobs for it so you might as well get them out the way early and it lets you try out a few different jobs while the gear is still relatively cheap and reusable.

I was wondering if there is a significant difference between these races, or are they quite insignificant?

Insignificant, seriously. The only times race becomes significant at all is when you are worried about hp and mp maximums (not that often) and even then it's usually pretty easy to compensate with gear. Choose what you like the look of most.

[Kittyneko]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Hello Xibz, welcome to the FFXIOnline forums.

I guess this would be the first class you take to a high level. Hume is a great choice if you want to play different type of jobs. Even though several races seem to have a bit of an edge for certain jobs, such as Mithra for their DEX and Elvaan for their STR, I'm quite convinced you won't ever be bothered by this fact playing on any race, especially Hume.
For example; I play a Mithra character and while they have more DEX, but less STR and VIT than Hume, Elvaan and Galka, I never had any problems with my Paladin, Samurai, Warrior and Monk.

Thief has a lot of positive sides as first high level:
->The Job Trait(s) Treasure Hunter at level 15, Treasure Hunter II at level 45 and Treasure Hunter III & IV (obtainable at level 70+ through equipment) will help you a lot if you're in need of gil.
->Thief is a very good solo player, not for experience points, but to fight tougher monsters, such as Notorious Monsters, which can help you in obtaining expensive items and selling them for gil.
-> Because of Thief being a very good job for farming and fighting tough monsters on your own, even at the highest level, this job can/will benefit you for the rest of your FFXI playtime.
-> Thief requires a little bit of skill to play, especially since it's usually the "puller" inside a party. This shouldn't be a problem though, you'll learn it fast enough.
-> Equipment for Thief is quite cheap compared to other jobs. The most expensive piece of equipment you'll want up to level 70+ is the level 57 [url=http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Scorpion_Harness]Scorpion Harness[/b] (click for link). However this costs roughly 200,000 gil and therefor shouldn't be too hard to obtain at that level. It's not required to have either way.
-> Another note to Thief: While not required, you'll probably want the following two parts of equipment as they're very good for a Thief:
Lv7 Bounding Boots
Lv24 Empress Hairpin
The hairpin is also useful for Monk. They both drop from relatively easy Notorious Monsters and these two pieces are nearly a must-have for any Thief. They'll be useful for level 70+ and any other job that can use them, should you level another job. They're also excellent for Ninja for example, which you'll eventually want to level as subjob mainly for Thief, but also for Monk at higher levels.

Monk has a bit less positive sides:
-> Monk is relatively easy to play, as the only thing you have to do is Attack a monster and use Weapon Skills now and then.
-> Monk are (or can be, depending on equipment) very strong melee damage dealers, which is useful for endgame-activity. You most likely won't have to worry about this for a long time, as long as you have fun playing the job that you like the most
-> Monk doesn't have much gear to choose from. It's quite easy to gear up your Monk at various levels, as there aren't too much pieces you can use for each equipment slot until the highest levels(70-75). Though that might sound very cheap, to build up a "high-end" Monk, meaning an extremely strong Damage Dealer, there are several very expensive equipment pieces available at certain levels (34-40). Fortunately, most of them you can also gain through Notorious Monsters, it just takes a bit longer than the Thief items. The most important one you'll want is:
Lv34 Ochimusha Kote (O-kote)
And on a slightly lesser note but definetely very useful for a good Monk character, are the following two pieces:
Lv39 Sarutobi Kyahan
Lv40 Jujitsu Gi
Scorpion Harness is also very, very useful for Monk compared to other parts.
If you take the time to hunt those Notorious Monster when you reach the level, you can build up a very strong Monk with relatively small gil spending. But like I said, you don't have to get them.

About Subjobs:
Thief: Use Warrior or Monk till level 20, than Ninja till level 75, and you're set.
In other words, requires Warrior 20/Monk 20 and Ninja 37.
If you use Monk as subjob, use Hand-to-hand weapon till level 20, if you use Warrior, use a Sword/Dagger and a shield. Either way it's recommended you keep your Dagger skill leveled as this becomes your required main weapon level 33 and beyond.

Monk: Use Warrior till level 75. At high level party's, you might be asked to use Ninja instead, so you don't take too much damage when you burst out another powerfull Weapon Skill.
In other words, requires Warrior 37 and eventually Ninja 37.
Ninja is always a good subjob to have, for most jobs, especially for solo-play situations.

When it comes to getting party invites easily, I suppose both Thief and Monk are equal, not much can be said about that.

[Nuriko]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Regarding Thief, I'm finding Marksmanship surprisingly effective just now. I'm at THF38, and had let my skill there lag some, so decided to work it up again. I ended up fighting high Easy Prey at the end of it (Miner Bees in Lufaise) and found Bloody Bolts to be seriously powerful, just going out as THF/RNG to make it easier to hit things. Never forget these if you choose to take THF up, they're a wonderful way to restore HP in a fight (IF you can hit - make sure you can!)

[Kittyneko]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Regarding Thief, I'm finding Marksmanship surprisingly effective just now. I'm at THF38, and had let my skill there lag some, so decided to work it up again. I ended up fighting high Easy Prey at the end of it (Miner Bees in Lufaise) and found Bloody Bolts to be seriously powerful, just going out as THF/RNG to make it easier to hit things. Never forget these if you choose to take THF up, they're a wonderful way to restore HP in a fight (IF you can hit - make sure you can!)

Yes, even for level 75 you'll want Marksmanship capped (or nearly).

[Armando]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Yeah, Marksmanship is a MUST. Every THF should strive to keep it capped all the way to 75.

[Pteryx]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Concerning THF vs. MNK, THF works best in a more tactically-minded party while MNK works better in a mindless beat-'em-up type of party. The latter has become the norm, and while a MNK is just as effective in a more complex party if invited , a THF loses most of its effectiveness in situations where they can't properly use Sneak Attack and Trick Attack. Thus, I recommend MNK over THF until SE fixes some balance issues in the game. -- Pteryx

[Tomato_Kai]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

So, I'd like to say that I love both classes, thf and mnk.

MNK I like for it's awesome power. It just feels like you're putting massive hurt on whatever you touch - every time you touch it.

THF, I like for it's assassin-like abilities that give it a unique quality. That said, both jobs have requirements that ... well, aren't always easy to get around.

THF's are reliant on decent party organization, as was explained earlier.

MNK's need better quality gear, overall. Some of this gear can get excruitiatingly difficult to acquire.

For me, I've got a plan for leveling. I'm getting WHM to 38 first, for teleports and a few other things... then THF to 60ish, for farming and NM solos, and then I'll be able to level effectively the two jobs that I've been looking to level: Sam and Mnk. I like all of the jobs I've mentioned, so none of this is a huge failure or critical flaw for me. It's just that I prefer Sam and Mnk :D

[Malacite]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

MNK/DNC is also a very powerful soloer at 70+ if you have the right gear for it. I've heard claims of solo chain 5 on imps in the mire.

You forgot to mention the Brown Belt by the way. This is one of the critical items for MNK (if you have other haste gear like the Sarutobi/Fuma Kyahan) to stack haste for more DoT.

Also, it should be noted that while MNK's gear selection isn't terribly varied until late game it does have access to some pretty damn powerful stuff that will last you to end game (like the afforementioned O.Kote and S.Kyahan)

[Silent Howler]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

There's no reason to be "torn" between playing Theif or Monk. Just play both.

[Pteryx]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

There's no reason to be "torn" between playing Theif or Monk. Just play both.

Yes, but I'd think it a question of which he wants to get to 75 first. -- Pteryx

[Xibz]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Thank you all for your input. And yes, the question was more towards which to get to 75 first. I think I will try to get a monk going since Im new to the game, and it seems an easier character to play. Eventually, I will try to get a thief to 75 as well =]

[Armando]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

To be honest, I would recommend THF instead.

Just because THF is more technical in the way it does damage (as opposed to MNK's autoattack) doesn't make it hard to play by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, MNK has quite a few pieces of gear that're available early on that cost a LOT, which you won't be able to afford. Even if you could afford it, it would take a lot of farming time.

Starting with a job that doesn't have to pay oodles of gil for the good gear until much later on allows you to not have to spend as much time farming on your first climb to 75. Once you're at 75 you have the means to fund anything you want. Plus, THF farms better, and can solo certain things that other jobs have more difficulty doing. In other words, it'll be more "useful" to you.

EDIT: Of course, all of that is assuming you don't fancy either job more than the other. If you feel you really really love MNK and don't like THF as much, by all means go for it.

[Lunaryn]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

As a career THF I'd like to reiterate Pteryx's point here. It's not that the complexity of THF makes it difficult or unrewarding to play, it's quite appealing for a number of reasons. However, it contributes very little at all of worth if your party is unwilling to cooperate with you in terms of maximizing your effectiveness, and well into the aftermath of ToAU, party cooperation is at an all-time low. If I didn't have Assassin (60 ability) I wouldn't be able to function at all, and as it is I barely do much to influence the course of the battle.

That said, THF/DNC is a soloing/Campaign powerhouse. I'm quite pleased with it in that capacity.

[Silent Howler]

Re: Torn between thf & mnk

Yes, but I'd think it a question of which he wants to get to 75 first. -- Pteryx

Well he is new to the game. Personally I thought he was getting a little ahead of himself. Summoner was the first job I really wanted to go for, and it has been sitting at level 24 for how long now? 6 months? Point is, things can change. Maybe he'll find himself liking Samurai and love it to death.